Folding diagonal cutters

So Yesterday I went to Micro Center for some other stuff and while there I spied several sets of very tiny Cutters that would have to be as good for this and other useful cutting as well as being small enough to easily have around all the time too as compared to any modded MTinstien or at least to me?

If you think a modded MT will work I am happy for you but I am drawing the line at the right tool for the job here with actual purpose built cutters.

I also spotted and fondled one of those flipper headed cutter/plier/stripper things and it was terrifying how crappy it was overall and after comparing the size of one it seems clear that a tiny pair of real cutters is just better in every way on the end for me.

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The biggest advantage of the micro diagonal cutters is they exemplify the "do one thing very well" philosophy of a purpose built tool and usually that works out better than the "jack of all trades master of none" route that a MT goes down. Blasphemy I know , but dedicated tools tend to work better. A MT allows you to cover a wider range of unexpected situations.

Im not sure the dime is going to do what I need it to, I'd still much rather have a real pair of diagonal cutters. To that end, I have a multi stage plan:

1. Carry a small pair of diagonal cutters in my maxpedition sheath with my surge. This is the best option, but I don't always feel like carrying that extra pound on my belt.

2. Pick up a Gerber dime, chop the tips of the pliers off. This can easily ride in my pocket everyday for when I'm not carrying my surge.

3. Find a second pair of small cutters, attempt to cut the handles off and shape them so that I can replace the pliers in the dime with these cutters. I'm not sure if I can pull this one off or not with the power tools I have at my disposal.

4. Keep looking around and hopefully someone will eventually make what I'm looking for. Submit suggestions to Leatherman, Gerber and SOG.

Can any of you confirm that the dime wire cutters can do a decent job of cutting zip ties?

Also, I've never attempted anything like this before. I have a Dremel with reinforced cutoff disks, and recently picked up a bench grinder, is it safe to assume that I should be able to cut and shape the pliers with these?

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The dime is Handy, but it is a light use tool. It's not incredibly strong and I'd also be a bit worried the cutters are big enough for larger zipties. At $13 it'd be worth a shot for me.

I decided to pass on the Gerber dime for now. Instead, I started working on making my own.

A while back I picked up a small pair of flush cut pliers at harbor freight. They are awesome at cutting zip ties, and unlike my small diagonal cutters, the handles are flat, which will make them easier to work with.

I was looking through a box of old knives and crap and I found two small multitools that will be perfect for this project. They are like a Leatherman Micra in size and form factor, but instead of scissors, they have super crappy pliers with cutters that just won't cut anything. The other tools all suck as well. I've had these for at least 20 years just lying in a box because they weren't worth using.

I got started by removing the pliers and various other tools. It looks like they are held on with screws, but they are actually pins that are pressed together. The ones holding the pliers were fairly easy to remove, but the ones holding the other tools in were a real pain to get out. The end of the large pin was flared and I had to pry everything apart.

I had to leave the house in the middle of this project to take my son to his baseball game. I bought them with my and used my Skeletool and Surge to work on getting the other tools out while sitting in the bleachers.

Hopefully this evening I can cut the handles off of the flush cutters and work on drilling and shaping them to mount in these handles. I don't plan on putting any other tools back in this, I already carry a Style cs, Skeletool, and vic. Huntsman everyday anyway, and frequently a surge in my belt.

I made some progress so far. I used my Dremel to chop off the handles of the flush cutters. I then drilled the holes for the pins that will secure them. I screwed the cutters to a block of wood to hold them still while drilling. It looks like this may actually work.

Due to the increased thickness of the cutters, I'm going to fasten the cutter head to the opposite ends of the handles. I'll still need to come up with some kind of spacers to keep them from wobbling. I have some small washers, but I think they are still too large. Perhaps some kind of nylon bushing.

Next I need to see if the free bench grinder I picked up the other day actually works so I can round off the corners. But that's going to have to wait until after I get the kids ready for bed.

So far, so good. My bench grinder works great, so I got the cutters rounded off and mounted in the handles using the original pins. They stay together fairly well, over I'm sure I'm done tweaking it, I'll put some locktite on them before pressing them together.

The good news is they work. They unfold fairly well, they wiggle a little bit yet because I don't have any spacers on the pins to keep the cutter heads still. But still, they snap into place. I can open and close them at cut stuff. They are a little loose when folded up, I think getting the spacers in there will make it more solid, I just have to find the right thing to use.

I think with a little more effort, these will be an awesome addition to my EDC gear.

I've been following this thread since the beginning but I didn't post anything because I couldn't offer you a viable solution to your request. My first thought was to say, "Build it yourself." but it's impossible to judge a person's mechanical ability over the internet.

I applaud your determination for coming up with an excellent solution to your needs.

In the meantime, I accidentally found a very handy mini tool for clipping cable ties ( I wouldn’t claim wire ). Tuns out nail clippers can easily get into a cable tie and clip it with no effort. Tiny and a lot of leverage. I guess about any make will do but bigger toenail sized ones will probably cope with big cable ties. I was using a tiny Victorinox set that were in my travel toiletries bag (TSA friendly).